We have begun to learn something of the varied influences that have shaped the new pontiff. What is required from the new pope today, says Dr Harry Hagopian, is more than an evocative name and a humble posture. Catholicism also needs someone who can bringing a cleansing brush to bear on tired structures, on the abuse scandal, and on the existential, ecclesial, structural, ecumenical and global challenges that Christians face in a fast-changing world. It is a monumental task, but which many hope the first Jesuit pontiff can begin and lead.

“Discrimination and statelessness live side by side; it is no coincidence that most stateless people belong to racial, linguistic and religious minorities.” So says the communique issued at the end of the World Council of Churches consultation on stateless people held in Washington DC from from 27 February to 1 March 2013. This is the full document, made available by the WCC.

One of the possibly unintended consequences of Benedict’s announcement that he is to step down as Pope - something unprecedented in the modern era - is that it might set in motion a dynamic that creates renewed opportunities for ecumenical dialogue by offering a new perspective on the role and place of the papacy, writes long time observer Dr Stephen Brown. He offers an assessment of both the plusses and minuses of the pontiff's period in office from the perspective of inter-Christian relations.